New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-11-30
MUSIO---THE DRAMA
JOSEF HOFFMAN,. THE PRODIGY
Readers Of the newspapers wore pren..sa

A.
sensation that. was provided for them by tina -
cocious Polish lad Josef Holman, at bis first co, -.
In tho Metropolitan Opera House last night IN. r."
cess In London was tho most notable feature a, ~
last season In the British capital, and under TIM -
lstng system Of American news paper manaremen, ~ ~
lads candle could not have been kept under h,,s.
even had his agents desired It which OF courso 49,,
did not In the literature OF no other art are t,
OF precocity so common as In that Of music tn.
furnish opening phrases for the majority of bo..
raphes Of certain class. There Is some coo, ~
reason why this should even DO so. Some eeus,,.
Of musical nature must be direct gifts or thew vm
never be owned; the sense Of absolute pitch 10, 4.
stance, cannot be acquired and hence It ia excaa.
rgly fortuDAo that 1t is not essential ingredIen,
In the compounding OF q musician Raft and Mcvs,
beer are among the eminent composers who did No.
possess It nevertheless every student Of the art h
In the course Of his experiences found child Win
without knowing why, could give the name of ION.
produced by tho touching OF unseen key upon N.
pianOfOrte; and sometime even resolve a dlssona,.
bunch of notes into its factors. Yet all these tbnc
have not prevented the critical part OF the world ron
viewing tho tales Of premature ripeness with qua.
plcon. One reason Of this doubtless Is tho fact
that the number OF cases In which extraordinary
talent In the child developed into genius in the ma.
few. The uncritica and unthirking, CT cous.
always ready to be astOunded and bewildered
and 1t Is because OF tho prepondoranco Of these In t
worlds population that tho dime museum and thu
side show Of freaks flourish
From the utterances of the two extreme classes
would be difficult to como to decision In such cax
that presented by young HOFFMAN,. From his su
hibton Monday afternoon and last night It Wa
obvious enough that he Is gifted In music far beyond
any child presented to public notice I'm recent times.
and II the inquiry to stop here there would b
little occasion for controversy. Viewed from ns
technical point Of view solely his playing Of tho plano
forte Is phenomenal. The confident ease with which
he attacks tho task set before him IS Astonishing at 10
outset mis- nImbeness Of finger, his Command Of tA
technique peculiar to the instrument his tone prOdus
ton in respect both of quality and quantity In ta
last respect put to mercilcss test In the vast aGdep.
room last night, the nice sense Of symmetry whh
marks his playing Of scales and arplggios, hi, mae,
of dynamic effects and of tone coOrall these feaga
of his playing admirable in themselves, and notkn,
short of remarkable features of the playing OF lA
OF ten years But 1t is the less true that all
thsc features might be the fruits OF imitation, and nd
necessarily indicative of the possession Of extraordinary
musical talent. For the proofs of such a possessing
generally look at other elements In panoforte play.
ing to its Intellectual and emotional contents 10
the nature OF the case cannot talk about emotional
depth in chds playing, even though he be prodgyl
when young Holman approaches feeling at all II Scent
rather tho product Of an instructive appreciation
that effect is necessary TOT inc OF
mus c. It would lie the course Of wisdom 70 exclude
from his programmes all the music Of such composer
as Schnmann and Chopin, with whom tho cmo'ionl
element IS dom nant. But there IS high degree 4
directed taste In his playing, which bear
TO a genuine musical nature.
The majority of his intutions even when balkel BY
mechanical slip, delight to the Iudcions. Lat
night he played two numbers which lifted this sd 4
his ability into promnence-the slow movement q
first theme
By Rameau. II would be difficult with all the argu-
mens at the hands of the clcvercst special peaer 4,
convince a musician that the exquisite phra,ng AMI
lovely shading In tho former and the sodty Of s'yl,
and lucldty Of exposition I'm the latter were acquired
by an exercise OF merely initiative faculty. mater
how abnormally developed. As proofs Of the deep
grounded musical nature of the lad his reading Of these
two numbers was far more potent than hi, perfo.-
ance Of two original compositions his improyizaO,
on given theme.
Whether tho bent Of his talent 3 onc.siied mgt
fairly be discussed but that the talent most exigS
ordinary IS put beyond discussion by his exhibio,
last night. As Tearing on the former question nigh
be urged that the constructive Skill which he has show,
In the treatment Of given themes the two occaos
mas not been all extraordinary from the pOLi d /
view by his performances as player who hu
stored up in his wonderfully receptive mind several
score pieces of varied sort, capable Of supplying
material that be used In the treatment Of almost I
any imaginary theme. In fact, the boy IS so maTyel |
lous in the single character Of planotorte vtuoso thu
no afford to have It said Of ha
that II were inclined 10 suspect the authorship
tho pieces with which he credited the p0 |
grammes OF yesterday and Monday, his improyisa atoms
on the two occasions would not the purpose
which they were cOnfeSsedly introduced namely,
prove his ability to write tho set pieces. These pieces
Thu far have lcen pretty melOdOus and Wclc0r
'tructed. Naturally they have hoed the masters
but this tat which hey have in common with 10
n Of hA fta fttIf
he day, and no one would chargc II against them.
altz last night really dainty thing all Chopin
history pr'co cuS childen IS full OF warnings a;ana
attempts to rrognostcate their future, and ~
Josef Hoffman, have not been sufficient TO iusfit Il
prophecy In any particular 1t IS enough that the si
accounts OF his achievements In London and Berlin,
and that he challenges the conviction that the feats u
The teat 1 ~ So1 r pb i"' no,v ai n
were unique I'm the history OF music In New York II
The theatre contained an audience splendid IN pold
OF numbers and generously leavcncd with musicians,
professional and amateur There were likcwise many
present VIII SO eNcltability was mora Obvious thsA
their discrimination, but after the lad had gwen no
first exhibition Of hts skill I'm the opening OF the con
certo, tho iudicous and tho lniudcious were one IA
their expression OF admiring delight. Each solo pas.
sage was followed By applause and the inst and
and shouts of bravo, Finally aer tie last move
mont the orchestra Joined I'm the glad noise with +.
fanfare, AMI the boy was compelled 10 cone lrStV
again and again to bow HIS recognition OK the ,rogs
dolngs. either for after tho novelty OF seeing the s
In position usually reserved for experienced artists
had asserted itself. II a common rema thai ms
element completely lost I'm the downr- h Interest
excited by his performance. The scheme ~ a. ioi |
lows:
Overture carnival Romano Belo,
nCerto In major No.
y.r,at,nn. HAnes1 l
Overture. Midsummer Nights Dream Men ie'soaa
wsi's josef Holman
Nncturne. = rst( Chopi Il
Mali r. ninor
rni -, Tor ~, o,orte and orche.tra Wrbef Llsa
All OF his numbers Master Hoffman, played hol
memory Between hs compoStiCns snd tho>e
hopin no improvised on theme In the minor mo.
play ed for him by Camille GurickN, tho beEnI
pianl. Tho enthusiasm grew through the eyenhsI
and there can be- question that the impression FsV
by the lad most profound. He may IN hes'I
again tomorrow afternoon. Il
Mayor Hewitt Yesterday granted permission TO Joss
the hey pianist to play four times in each wea
st tho Metropolitan Opera House. The Mayor ADDS
mat he would not grant permission for two perormssS
n one day Elhrdgs T. Gerry. president OF tho Socsv